Posted by John on Tuesday, 3 September 2013, at 11:14 p.m., in response to Re: 1869 Cadet question, posted by Ernie Brandt on Tuesday, 3 September 2013, at 10:33 p.m.

Usage data on M1869 cadets is sparse, and except for four rifles with museum connections, the data reflects a total of 138 rifles turned in by Amherst College in January 1884. These are spread across the range of numbers from number 150 to number 3395, and included number 398, 404 and 449. However, the spread confirms that shipment was not in nice neat consecutively numbered order.

Of course, since records have not survived (or been located on the remaining numbers) we have no idea where they might have been used, or stored.

Rucker may well be the name of an owner, as many craftsmen had name stamps made up to mark their tools or products. Or, it may have been a small military school, although I did not see any likely candidates. Or, maybe something used by the sheriff of the town of Rucker in California, Texas, or your choice of two in Missouri.